Lubricating mechanism



- To all whom it may concern:

and exact specification.

ticularly in the ceiver pressure falls nanny c. onansmr, or cincaeo; rnnmors, assrenon no I COMPANY, A CURPUMTION 0F MASSACHUSETT&

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lBeit known that T, HARRY G. JOHANSEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lubricating Mech anism, of which the following isa This invention relates to lubricatingmechanism for air and other gas compressors, and especially to mechanism forsupplymg lubricant to the cylinders. of such compressors,: although applicable-,if desired, to lubricators for other parts of the compressor mechanism, said invention being in the nature of a medificationof or "improvement on the lubricatshown and described in the ing mechanism application for Letters Patent filed by Halbert B. Halvorse'n October 30, 1918, Serial No. 260,306.

In the use of air and gas compressors, parcase of large units or systems, it is customary to provide means for unloading the compressor at intervals to interrupt the compressing action thereof without stopping the actuating motor or the compressor itself, said unloading-means usually bemg controlled by the receiver pressure whereby when said pressure reaches a redetermined maximum the compressor will temporarily inoperative, and when said reminimum the compressor will be again rendered operative, thereby automotically maintaining the receiver pressure between predetermined limits. Such compressors are usually provided with means for supplying lubricant to the cylinder or cylinders thereof, and it is found that when the compressor is running idly duringthe unloaded periods a less quantity of lubricant is necessary. than when the compressor is running loaded. The present'invention has for its general object to provide means whereby the quantity of lubricant supplied will be automatically controlled in accordance with the loaded or unloaded condition of the com pressor, the supply being decreased or discontinued entirely when the compressor is unloaded, thereby resulting in a greater economy in the use of lubricant and decreasing the difficulties due to the presence of excess lubricant in the compressor cylinders specification of Letters Patent.

full, clear,

' panying be rendered below a predetermined and in the compressed air or other gas discharged therefrom. v The foregoing and other more particular ob ects of the invention, together with means whereb the same may becarried into effect, wil best beunderstood from the following description of one. form or embodiment thereof illustrated in the accomdrawings. however, that the particular construction and arrangement described and shown has been chosen for illustrative purposes merely, and that the invention, as defined by the claims hereunto appended, may be' otherwise practiced without departing from the spirit and scope thereof. I i

In said drawings," L

Fig. 1 is aside elevation of a compressor SULLIVAN MAUHINERY v V Patented May %3, ll%2% a ncenen mea March 18,1919. aerial Ito. aaaara.

lit will be understood,

equipped with apparatus constructed in ae cordance with the invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail sectional view of a portionof the force feed lubricatorand the controlling means associated therewith,

the point'o'f view' being opposite that ofv ig. 3 is' a side elevation, partly broken away, of the parts shown in Fig. of observation being to the. right 0 apparatus in Fig. 1

ig. a is an en in Fig. 3.

. The invention. is herein illustrated as applied to an angle compound compressor of well known type, the same comprising a low pressure cylinder 10 having an inlet 11 and a high pressure cylinder 12 having a discharge conduit 13, said cylinders having 2, the oint the interposed between them an intercoo ler 14:

and being provided with istons (not shown operatively connected with a common cran shaft 15 provided with a flywheel or driving pulley 16.

As illustrative of means for unloading thecompressor, there 'is loading valve 17 for controlling the flow of air through the inlet 11 to the low pressure cylinder 10, said unloadin valve being prefarg ed detail of parts shown herein shown an un-- erably controlled through suitable means (not shownlby the receiver pressure or the pressure at the dicharge side of the compressor. The details of the unloading valve an the means for controlling the same are not shown and will not be described herein, as

its

; be of any usual or well such devices are well known in the art, may known type, and specifically form no portion of the present invention." y Y Compressors of the type herein shown are usually provided with lubricating systems comprising separate mechanisms for sup pl in lubricant to the bearings and to the cy in ers, respectively. As illustratlve of such a system, there is herein indicated at 18 a lubricant forcing device for supplying lubricant to the bearmgs and a separate lubricant forcing device 19 for supplying 011 to the cylinders, the device 18 being actuated by a lever 20 connected by 'a link 21 with a crank disk 22 on the crank shaft 15, and the device 19 being provided with an operating-arm 23 connected by a rod 24 with the lever 20. The lubricator 18 forms no compressors of this character, and which is.

.sufliciently well known not to .larly,

means responsive to the loaded or ratchet wheel 27 for, a

'tent to which said at each oscillation, ms.

portion of the present invention and ma be of any usual or well known type. Simithe lubricator "19 may be of any suitable character, but is herein illustrated as being of the well known McCord force feed type, such as isusually connected through check valved pipes 19'. with the cylinders of require description in detail. For the purpose of the present description itfwill be suflicient to say that said lubricator comprises a casing 25 (Figs. 2 and 3) containing suitable lubricant forcing and distributing means actuated from a shaft 26 provided with a ratchet wheel 27 controlled by a holding pawl 28 and actuated by an operating pawl 29 car ried by a swinging pawl carrier 30 actuated by the arm 23, whereby as said arm is oscillated by therod 24 the shaft 26 will be intermittently rotated, thereby actuating the lubricant In accordance with the. present invention,-

forcing devices.

theoperation of the lubricant forcing devices of the lubricator 19 is controlled by unloaded condition of the compressor, by varying the. operative engagement of the pawl 29 with the ratchet wheel 27. To this end, there is pivotally mounted on the shaft 26 an arm 31 carrying a'pawl shield 32 adapted, as said arm 31 is swung about the shaft 26, to be interposed between the pawl 29 and greater or less portion of the stroke of said pawl, and preventing engagement of T 7 said ratchet during said portion of the former. In this he the operati o stroke of the pa Si l ll'l-CVQS pawl may he held on 0* said ratchet throughon discontinuing oper ing device altogether.

F or controlling the position of the pawl containing apiston 34 connected by a link 35 upwardly, thereby moving the loaded condition of the compressor, there is provided a cylinder 33 bolted or otherwise secured to the top of the casing 25, said cylinder with the arm 31. The upper end of the cylinder 33 is connected by a pipe 36with the intercooler 14, whereby the upper side of the piston 34 is subjected to the pressure in said intercoole'r. Beneath the piston 34 is a spring 37 normally tending to move said piston upwardly against the pressure at the upper side thereof. The arrangement is such that as the piston 34 is' moved downwardly by the intercooler pressure the pawl shield 32 will be moved into its inoperative position, and as said piston is moved upwardly to a greater or less extent by the spring 37, the pawl shield 32 will be moved into a position to interrupt the action of the pawl 29 to a. corresponding extent. The extent of upward movement of the piston 34 may be controlled, or said piston may be held against any upward, movement at all, by means-of an adjusting screw 38 having threaded engagement with the upper head of the cylinder 33.

In. the drawings the arts are shown in their normal position, w ereinthe pressure in the intercooler 14 is supplied through the 95 pipe 36 to the top of the piston 34, thereby holding said istonin its lowermost position against t e tension of the spring 37, and holding the pawl shield 32 inoperative. When the unloading valve 17 is closed to unload the compressor, reciprocation of the piston in the high pressure cylinder 12 will re sult in the relief of the pressure in the intercooler 14, and even in the formation of a partial vacuum therein. The pressure on the lieved, the spring 37 will move said piston pawl shield 32 into operative position to interrupt or restrict the operation of the lubricator 19.

By the proper adjustment of the abutment-screw 38, the amount of variation to which the operation of the lubricator is subjected upon the unloading of the compressor may be controlled. lVith said adjusting screw in its uppermost position. as shown in Fig. 2, the spring 37 is permitted to move the piston 34 into its extreme uppermost position, so that when the compre loaded the pawl shield wil be a as to prevent any enga" 29 with the ratchet 27 tinue the operation of the altogether. ()u the oth ment screw 38 be moved limit of its movement so ton 34 when the latter position, as shown in Fi any 4 movement of the piston will be revented that the lubricator controlling device will be 80 v lubricating means therefor, a

crating the same,

ai /pea v rendered inoperative and the lubricator continue to operate in its normal manner irrespective of the loaded or unloaded condipawl 29 with the ratchet wheel 27 through any desired portion of the path of travel of said pawl. j

From the foregoing, it will be seen that the present invention provides means whereby the amount of lubricant forced into the compressor cylinder may be directly controlled by the loaded or unloaded condl tion of the compressor so as to be reduced when the compressor is running unloaded, or discontinued altogether during such unloaded period, as may be desirable in accordance with the requirements. These and other benefits and advantages of the invention will, however, be readily apparent those skilled in the art.

What ll claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: v

l. The combination with a multiple 'cylinder compressor having an intercooler and provided ation causes variation in intercooler pressure, of lubricating means controlled by the pressure in the intercooler.

,2. The combination with a compressor, of

ratchet connected with said lubricating means forepa pawl for actuating said ratchet, a pawl shield for controlling the engagement of said pawl with said ratchet, and means controlled by the loaded or unloaded condition of said compressor for controlling the position of said pawl shield.

3. The combination with a compressor, of lubricating means therefor, a'cylinder, a piston therein operatively connected with said lubricating means for controlling the same, a spring cooperating with said piston at one side thereof, and means for subjecting the opposite side of said piston to variations in fluid pressure incidental to the loading and unloading of said compressor. i 4. The combination with a multiple cylinder compressor provided with an intercooler, of lubricating means therefor, a cylinder, a. piston therein operatively connected with said lubricating means for controlling the same, a spring cooperating with said piston, at one subjecting the. opposite side of said piston The combination'with' a compressor, of lubricating means therefor, pawl and ratchct mechanism for operating said lubricating means, means for varying the operation of said. pawl and ratchet mechanism, a cylinder, a piston therein operatively connected to the fluid pressure in said intercooler,

with unloading means whose operside thereof, and means for with said varying ating with sa d piston at one side thereof, and means for subjecting the opposite side of said piston to variations in fluid pressure incidental to the loading and unloading of said compressor.

6.- The combination with a compressor, of lubricating-means therefor, a ratchet connected with said lubricating means for operating the same, a pawl for actuating said ratchet, a pawl shield for controlling the engagement of said pawl with said ratchet, a cyl1nder,-a piston therein operatively connected with said awl shield, and meansfor subjectin said piston to variations in fluid ressure incidental to the loading and unoadin of said compressor.

7. T e combination with inder compressor provided with an intercooler, of lubricating means therefor, means controlled by the fluid pressure in said intercooler for varying the operation of said lubricating means, and means adjustable to control the extent of variation thereof.

8. The combination with a compressor of movement of saidpiston.

9. y The combination wi lubricating means therefor, acylinder, a piston therein operatively connected with said lubricating means for varying the operation thereof, a spring cooperating with said piston at one side thereof, means for means, a spring coo-pe'ra multiple cylv lubricating means therefor, a cylinder, a pis-' i th a compressor of subjecting the opposite side of said piston to variation in fluid pressure incidental to the loading and unloading of the compressor, and an abutment member adjustable from outside said cylinder for limiting the movement of said piston.

10. The combination with'a compressor, of lubricating means therefor, a cylinder, a piston therein operatively connected with said lubricating means for varying the operation thereof, a spring cooperating with said piston at one side thereof, means'for variations in fluid pressure incidental to the lit subjecting the opposite side of said piston to ment with said cylinder for limiting the movement of said piston.

' 11. The combination'with a multiplecylinder compressor provided with anintercooler, of lubricating means therefor, means for varyingthe operation of said lubricatmg means, a cylinder, a piston therein operatively connected with said varying means for operating the same,- and meansforisubiectingsaid P e i flw flui pr l tei'in said intercooler'.

\12. The combination with a multiple cylinder' compressor provided with an inter- 4 cooler, -,-jof lubricating means therefor, a

' ratchet connectedv w th. said lubricating means for operatinggthesame, a-pawl for actuating said rat'c 1 I et,v a pawl shield for controlling-the engagement of said pawl with-saidiratchet, a cylinder, a piston thereshield, a spring cooperating with said ton at one side thereof, means for subjecting vthe opposite side of saidfpiston to the fluid in operatively connected with said pawl 1spressure in said intercooler, and an abutder-compressor provided with an intercooler, driving means for said compressor.

and means for discontinuing the compressive action of'said compressor without interruptingl the driving thereof by said driving means, of lubricating means for said compressor -and means for controlling the operation thereof controlled by pressure conditions in said intercooler.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

HARRY C. J OHANSEN. 

